The Buildsafe UAE safety alerts this week recommended that all sites should undertake a review on all lifting operations to ensure work methods statements are relevant to the operation.

It also asked that riggers and scaffolders need to follow the erection process and that riggers must receive tool box talks regarding the need to remain vigilant throughout all lifting operations.

This was in the wake of a 500 tonnes mobile crane dropping a beam to fall, though no injuries were sustained. The crane was lifting a megashore A Frame to level eight when a foot plate located on the bottom of the leg of the A frame caught the underside of a 3.6m RMD beam. The beam was positioned in 2U heads on the rapid shore tower and the collision caused it to lift out of the U heads and fall to the ground floor level, into a barricaded area.

Another incident highlighted the consequences when and if heavy materials are delivered wrongly and unloaded without due care. Glass panels were delivered in crates inside a container on back of trailer to a site unloading area. The container contained six crates, each with 20 panels weighing approximately 80kg each. The first four were dragged out by a team of five operatives to allow for telehandler to unload leaving two crates as shown.

Glass within one of these became unstable, toppled and four panels fell onto operative involved in unloading. Unfortunately, he sustained fractures in both feet.

Some of the recommendations by Buildsafe UAE included that risk assessment must be completed to ensure controls are identified for handling, offloading and storage onsite, forklift and telehandler operatives must be competent and have checked all slings and lift accessories prior to use and that onsite supervision should ensure no unloading takes place where there is doubt about the safety of method.

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